This invention relates to a drawer slide assembly and, more particularly, to an assembly including a T-shaped guide and a C-shaped slide, constructed of metal, but equipped with plastic bearing elements.
For the most part, drawer slide assemblies have used wood as the material of construction for the T-shaped stationary guide--see U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,328,107; 3,365,261; 3,658,394 and 3,981,553. However, metal guides were disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,650,577; 3,702,717, 3,844,627 and 3,850,482. A plastic guide is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,926,492.
None of the foregoing arrangements has met contemporary demands of reliable, trouble-free operation while minimizing cost. The wood elements very often warped to frustrate trouble-free sliding operation and were often difficult to install with accuracy. On the other hand, having both the slide and guide constructed of metal resulted in irritating noise and lack of trouble-free operation. These problems have been solved by the instant invention which employs metal as the material of construction of both members but further employs a unique surfaced bearing constructed of plastic in the guide and a unique plastic adapter as a bearing in the slide.
Other objects and advantages of the invention may be seen in the details of the ensuing specification.